Dave Ramsey’s envelop method made clear that it matters less how much money you make it matters infinitely more how you spend it. Or rather, manage it, because the power lies within you.
You have the control to live at the “fuck you” level sooner than you think, if you can only get past your need to impress your peers right now. And even when you are at the “fuck you” stage, remember that you’re never beyond losing your status.
To keep us both on our toes we’ve gathered four ways that successful people diligently save their money – because success is not a destination; it’s a reality.
- “Make 10, spend 2, save 8, yo”
While less than eloquently put, rapper LouGotCash makes a great point. One way successful people save is by spending a lot less than they earn – and being very careful about saving. Jay Leno famously saved every dime of his “Tonight Show”, saying he worked two incomes, and banked one and saved one.
- Know Your Worth
It’s not so easy to say “demand your worth” because we all know someone that thinks they’re worth a lot more than they are, if we’re being honest. The important job we have is to know our worth. Our worth is defined as differently from each other as night and day. Perhaps your computer knowledge worth is valued at $150 an hour, but your burger flipping worth is valued at $15 an hour and you are having trouble finding the client that can pay what you’re worth, well…. Get to flippin’. Successful people don’t waste their time, they make money at whatever level they can because when they constantly have income, they can constantly save.
- Avoidable Fees
Of course, it’s easy to make a blanket statement like “be more responsible, how old are you?” but in reality, a sense of responsibility is hard to come by, especially a rigid one, so if successful people know that they won’t pay their bank fees or credit card debt, they don’t take it on in the first place. They make sure they can meet minimum requirements in order to avoid wasting money on fees that are exaggerated anyway.
- Impulse Buys
Successful people are planners, and impulse purchases tend not to mesh with this quality. If you want to emulate their behavior, be much more cautious with your money, said Leslie Tayne, author of “Life and Debt.” Tayne suggested going cash-only to curb your spending.
The one common theme among all their collective money habits is that successful people don’t spend frivolously despite their means. Traveling for business in business class may not be negotiable for you, but if you can reduce the cost without sacrificing the seat, why not grab the opportunity to save?
